Jorge Solis
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Early life and education
Born in San Ygnacio, Texas, Solis graduated from McMurry College with his Bachelor's Degree in 1973 and later from the University of Texas School of Law with his Juris Doctor, J.D. degree in 1976.[1]
Legal career
Solis prosecuted criminal cases as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Texas for the U.S. Attorney's Office from 1976 to 1981. From 1981 to 1982, Solis was a private practice attorney in the State of Texas. In 1983, Solis returned to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Criminal prosecution division as a District Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 1983 to 1988. Solis was a Special Prosecutor on the West Central Texas Narcotics Task Force from 1988 to 1989. Solis was appointed District Court Judge in the 350th District Court of Texas, where he served from 1989 to 1991.[1][2].
Federal judicial career
On the recommendation of Texas U.S. Senator Phil Gramm, Solis was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas by President George H.W. Bush on June 19, 1991 to a seat vacated by Robert Porter. Solis was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 12, 1991 on a Senate vote and received commission on September 16, 1991.[3]
Irving election case
Judge Solis presided over a case on how elections are conducted in the Dallas-Area suburb of Irving. Judge Solis ruled that the City of Irving cannot use a system the Judge said: "diminishes the voting power of Hispanic residents." [4].
Manuel Benavidez, a 2007 candidate for the School Board of Irving, filed the lawsuit. Benavidez claimed in his affidavit that Irving's at-large election system kept Hispanics from being elected. [4] Benavidez, who is of Hispanic descent, claimed that Hispanic candidates were out-voted by a majority of white non-Hispanic voters. Benavidez's claims supported his argument that other minority candidates were impacted under the system the City of Irving mandated. Irving has been experiencing increased population growth in the past decade with more Hispanic citizens moving to the Dallas-area suburb.
Judge Solis in his ruling stated: "the City of Irving's at-large system political allowed candidates to receive votes from across a broad geographic area rather than a specific district or precinct."[4].
Despite a settlement that is about to be reached in the case, two Irving City Council members are asking the judge to throw out the settlement. The members believe that the new redistricting is racial gerrymandering[5].
External links
- Judge Solis Home Page at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- The Robing Room- Rate Judge Solis
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Judge Solis's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ "USDC-Northern Texas", Profile of Judge Jorge Solis, January 21, 2009
- ↑ "THOMAS" Jorge Solis USDC, NDTX confirmation: PN409-102
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "New York Times" Texas: City’s Election System Is Flawed, Judge Says, July 15, 2009
- ↑ "Irving Blog" Spink, Van Duyne send letter to federal judge in single-member district lawsuit, November 12, 2009
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